Convertible chair.



M. M. PRESS.

y CONVERTIBLEy CHAIR. APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 29. 1910.

Patented May 23, 1911.

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' M. M. PRESS.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR. APPLIUATION FILED 001229, 1'910 Patented May 23, 1911.

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A TTORNEYS MEDEL M. PRESS, 0F HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911.

Application iled October 29, 1910. Serial No. 589,737.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, MENDEL M. PnEss, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Convertible Chair, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in convertible chairs or chairs that can be opened out and extended to form beds, and folded again into chair formation, and consists essentially of a certain eculiar frame constructed of relatively adJustable parts, all as hereinafter set forth.

The object of my invention is to produce a chair, of the class above specified, which is strong, durable, convenient, and comparatively simple and inexpensive, can be easily and quickly changed into a bed and back again into a chair, is comfortable as either, and withal is practicable and serviceable.

By combining in a single article of 'manufacture a chair and a bed, I economize space and save the cost of one such article, which are additional objects of my invention.

Other objects will appear inthe course of the following description.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan of a chair in which is embodied a practical form of my invention; Fig. 2, a front elevation of said chair; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 4, a rear elevation;` Fig. 5, a top plan showing the chair converted into a bed; Fig. 6, a side elevation of such bed; Fig. 7 a longitudinal section through one of the folding-leg braces of links, and, Fig. 8, an inside elevation of said link.

The upholstering is omitted excepting in Figs. 2, 3 and 6.

Similar Jigures refer to similar` parts throughout the several views.

Although angle-irons are used extensively in the chair illustrated, and are very well adapted for my purpose, I do not intend to be confined to such material, or to be restricted in other features, since various changesA in the shape, size, arrangement and construction of some or all of the parts and members which enter into the construction ofl my chair may be made without departing from the nature of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be observed that the chair comprises a rectangular bottom l mounted on two rear legs 2 and two front legs 3, which latter may be provided with casters 4 4; a rectangular back 5 secured at thetop by two studs or rivets 6 and at the bottom by two studs or rivets 7 between and to two side pieces 8, which side pieces are pivoted at 9-9 to lugs 10-10 extending rearwardly from said bottom; a pair of folding legs 11 pivotally mounted at their upper or outer ends, according to the position of said back, on said rivets 6; a pair of braces or links 12 pivotally mounted at their bottom or inner ends, according to the position of said back, on said rivets 7, and having their opposite ends pivotally connected at 13-13 with said folding legs below said rivets 6; a pair of angular arms 14 having the back ends of their horizontal members pivoted at 15-15 to said side pieces on the outside and inter mediate of the ends thereof; an extension 16 of substantially the shape and size of said bottom, to the front of which latter said extension is so hinged at 17 that it can be turned over on to said bottom and then coincides with the top thereof, as shown in the first four views, or can be swung upward, forward and downward until its upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the bottom and forms a continuation of the same, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6; a pair of folding legs 18 having what' are their upper ends when in operative position pivoted at 19-19 to the sides of said extension inside of such sides and adjacent to what is the front edge of the extension when in its forward position; and an angular brace 20 for said legs 18, such brace having its middle portion journaled in a sleeve 21'attached to the extension between said legs and its terminals received loosely in sleeves 22-22 attached to the inner sides of said lugs adjacent to their free ends. There are spaces between the sides of the back 5 and the side pieces 8 to accommodate the legs 11 and the links 12 when folded.

Each link 12 has a longitudinal slot 23 therein adjacent to one terminal, which slot extends through from side to side, and said link has a longitudinal slot 24 therein adjacent to the other terminal, which latter slot extends through from edge to edge. In the inner side of the slot 24 in each link 12 is a longitudinal slot 25. The rivets 7 pass through the slots 23, and the pivots 13 pass through the slots 25 with the headed terminals at the outer ends of said pivots in of longitudinal movement required on the part of said links to enable them to .be folded with the legs -11 inV between the back 5 vand the side pieces 8 and in parallelism with these parts, as will be more fully explained hereinafter, and provision lis also made for frictional engagement between the pivots 13 and said links whereby theycwith said legs are retained in their folded positions, since the heads of said pivots which are inthe slots'24 iit quite snugly therein.

On the inside of the vertical partsv of the arms 14 are two lugs 26 which, excepting at their upper ends `where they join said arms, are spaced apart from adjacent portions of said arms and do not extend to the bases thereof. Sockets 27-27 are provided on the sides of the bottom 1 near the front edge thereof for the bases of the arms 14, and other sockets 28-28 are provided wit-hin the extension 16 for the lugs 26, said last-inentioned sockets being located in said exten- Vsion so as to be in proper position, when said extension is in its backward position, to receive said lugs. rigid connection is afforded by the means justdescribed between the vseat members, comprising the bottom 1 and the extension 16, and the arms of the chair.

In order to prevent the arms 14 and their lugs 26 from being accidentally withdrawn from the sockets 27 and 28, suitable fasteners may beV provided, such as latches 29-29 on both sides of the chair. rlhe two latches 29, herein shown, are merely rectangular Vlinks suspended at the tops from horizontal sleeves 30-30 on the outsides of the vertical parts of the ar'ms 14 and capable of being swung under the sockets 27 when said arms are in normaly engagement withv the chair. seat. While the latches 29 are in this position it is not possible to lift the arms and their lugs outk of the seat sockets. The extension 16 when backwardly disposed and thus superimposed 4on the bottom 1 forms with the latter the seat of the chair, as

"already intimated and as will be readily understood, and when said extension is in this position the legs 13` are folded in along the sides of the same, with the'brace 20 lying horizontally.

Any suitable upholstery may be provided for this chair, such as a back cushion 31 and a two-piece seat cushion 32, the sections of said seat cushion beingstitched or otherwise fastened together at 33. These cushions may each'be on one side in the form of a mattress, the mattress side of thecushion 3l being placed against the back 5, and the cushion 32 being folded together on the line of division 33 with4 the mattress sides of the 'two sections in contiguity, in the chair A very strong andformation, so that there is presented to view upholstery ofa suitable and pleasing appearance and such as would be expected in a chair used for ordinary purposes.

No precise sequence of operations need be adhered kto in the manipulation of Ythis chair for thepurpose of converting it into a bed and back again into a chair, wherefore the sequence set forth in the description below of such manipulation lmaybe departed from to whatever extent seems desirable. Y

To convert the chair into a bed, first press the legs 11v rearwardly out of the spaces in which they are confined, against the frictional resistance hereinbefore mentioned, and turn them on the rivets 6 as far as the links 12 will permit, said links now 'moving up on the rivets 7 until the bottoms ofthe slots 23 encounter said rivets, and at the same time swinging out of said spaces at their opposite terminals, and the pivots 13 passing to the Lipper ends of the slots 24 and 25. Next throw the latches 29 out of engageinent with the sockets 2 7, raise the arms i` pieces 8 to swing down on the pivots 9 until A K the legs 1,1 rest on the floor, andallow said arms to come to rest with their bases on said floor, in order to do which latter it may be necessary to spring the arms outward a little so that they can clear the outer heads of the rivets 7 and pivots 9. Then, after removing the cushion 32, turn thevlegs 18 on their pivots 19 into an approximately vertical position, or until they bearV against the back edge of the extension 16, the brace 20 moving with them and sliding in the sleeves 22, and throw said extension forward on the hinges' 17 until said legs rest on the floor. Finally turn the cushion 31 over to present its mattress side, open out the` the foot of said back is supported by the side A vpieces 8 and the pivots 9, so that this portion of the bed is arranged at an incline. The arms 14 project above some portions of the bed at they sides, as shown in Fig. 6, and thus assist in keepingthe mattress cushions in place where they cometogether or overlap. The suitable and serviceable bed illustrated in the last two views (in its complete form in the last view) is now ready for use.v

To restore the chair, simply reverse the .Y operations just described, that is to say, take 0E the cushion 32 and fold it together, throw the extension 16 over on to the bottom 1 and turn down the legs'18, raise the arms 14: and the back 5 and slip said arms and the lugs 26 into the sockets 27 and 28 and fasten them withthe latches 29, force the legs 11 with their links 12 in between said back and the side pieces 8, said links rocking and sliding down on the rivets 7 and the legs carrying the pivots 13 downward in the slots 24 and 25, turn over the cushion 31, and place the folded cushion 32 on the seat. Now the i substantial and comfortable chair illustrated in the first four views, but more particularly and completely in Figs. 2 and 3, is in readiness for the occupant.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a convertible chair,

of a suitably mounted bottom provided with' Copies of this patent may be obtained for tions of said links with said legs, the arrangement of parts being such that said legs and links can be folded into said spaces between the back and side pieces, arms pivoted to said side pieces and provided with oiiset lugs, and an extension hinged to said bottom and provided with folding legs and a folding brace therefor and with sockets, said extension being capable of occupying a position on top of said bottom, to form therewith the chair seat, with said extension sockets adjacent to said bottom sockets, the lug-provided terminals of said arms being receivable in said sockets with portions of the sides of said extension between the arms and their lugs.

2. The combination, in a convertible chair, with a two-part folding seat provided with a pair of sockets on each part, one pair being at a higher elevation than the other, of side members connected with said seat at the back, and a pair of arms pivotally connected with said side members and provided with lugs, the free ends of said arms and said lugs being receivable in said sockets.

MENDEL M. PRESS.

Witnesses:

F. A. CUTTER, A. C. FAIRBANKS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

